Bengaluru, May 7: Everton face a difficult task in agreeing on terms with Chelsea for defender Kurt Zouma as according to reports, the French defender has been told to be ready for the Blues pre-season tour.

Zouma is currently on loan at Everton from Chelsea, having joined the Merseyside outfit in the summer of 2018. His performance under manager Marco Silva has been immense this term and reportedly the Merseysiders have been pushing for a permanent deal in the Summer.

But not only the Toffees, but London rivals Arsenal are also reportedly interested in the French international over a permanent deal, however, latest reports have suggested that Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is keen to add the defender in his squad for the pre-season.

The Blues are said to be interested in keeping the defender at the club given their current lack of options at centre-back, with Gary Cahill, set to leave the club this summer and Antonio Rudiger injured while their potential transfer ban is also believed to be a major point.

Mauricio Sarri's side will travel to Japan in mid-July for friendly games with Kawasaki Frontale and Barcelona and Zouma could be seen in Chelsea colours there for the first time in three years.

Zouma established himself as a regular starter for Chelsea after arriving at the side in 2015 but after sustaining a knee injury the following year he was ruled out for eight months. He eventually lost his place in the Blues squad and since then has been on loan in two different sides.

He spent last season on loan with Stoke City in an attempt to prove his fitness which he passed with flying colours, before making the switch to Everton last summer where he has arguably been one of their best players.

The 24-year-old defender has made 28 starts and three substitute appearances in the Premier League for the Toffees this season, scoring two goals and providing two assists in the process. Everton manager Marco Silva has made it clear that he is keen to bring Zouma in but looks like right now a move is likely to depend on whether the Blues' two-window transfer ban is lifted or not for this summer.